3 questions every brand’s story should answer

Content marketing is enjoying its moment in the sun. With the expectation—and added pressure—for brands to create more good content, now is a good time to ask a simple question: What’s the content of your content?

Here are three types of questions that every brand should answer to give people a clearer sense of who you are, where you’re taking them, and why you matter. (Others, such as author Nancy Duarte and mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell have spoken about storytelling in similar terms.)

1. What does the world look like if you get your way?

When Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he talked for 11 minutes before he mentioned having a dream. It’s known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, however, because of its last five minutes. His vivid description of how the world should be was a guidepost, a rendering of a just society that supporters could work toward building.